Teen Acupuncture Treatment

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice, used for thousands of years to treat a wide range of mental and physical illnesses. Acupuncture now continues to become more and more popularized in physical and mental health care environments in the United States, as research has proven it to have positive impacts on physical ailments, as well as mental health and substance abuse issues. We’re proud to offer Teen Acupuncture treatment at Paradigm San Francisco, from a professional licensed acupuncturist, who specializes in work with adolescents.

One of the ways Acupuncture can greatly benefit teens struggling with mental health and/or substance abuse disorder is that acupuncture addresses brain chemistry, the nervous system, and numerous physical systems, simultaneously. For instance, Acupuncture has been shown to increase endorphins, help to regulate and balance hormones and neurotransmitters, help support physical healing from trauma, decrease anxiety, decrease chronic stress and related symptoms, and much more. With regard to substance abuse and dependency, the National Drug Court Office reports that acupuncture can help to decrease the likelihood of relapse in adolescents by up to 33%, and furthermore, help to break cycles of addition and reduce cravings.

In Eastern Medicine, Teen Acupuncture treatment stems from the five elements and a balance of yin and yang energy. The elements describe the relationship between pathology and physiology of the body, as certain elements correspond with certain mental or emotional symptoms and/or states. We might view this explanation as somewhat metaphoric, as for instance anxiety might be associated with too much wind in the body, whereas a lack of fire might be associated with depression. There are also thought to be different channels of the body through which everything (thoughts, feelings, moods, memories) flow, and thus, the acupuncture treatment aims to open and allow proper flow within the body.

Though sometimes at first, needles can be intimidating to teens, there’s actually very little sensation associated with the insertion of the needles and furthermore, teens can sometimes begin to feel positive effects almost immediately. What we’ve found is our Teen Acupuncture treatment program at Paradigm San Francisco is a wonderful example of a supplemental support we can provide to teens, which not only encourages and furthers healing but also teaches teens healthy, constructive ways of taking care of themselves. We believe this is integral in helping teens to not just recover from symptoms, but have the resources and skills necessary in order to continue growing into their best, happiest selves, once they leave Paradigm.